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From the upgrade/downgrade report (Mon Sep 9): Mariota was better than 2018, but not as good as his numbers in Week 1. The touchdowns were short, or created by a Browns defense that rolled out the red carpet for Derrick Henry on a screen. He's still a low ceiling option against the Texans this week.

Week 2: vs Indianapolis Colts - $5000

FBG says: Neutral matchup. The Titans offense put up some relatively flashy numbers in last week's win against the Browns, but the performance of Marcus Mariota still left much to be desired. Mariota was inaccurate for most of the game, noticeably missing on anything other than wide-open receivers. He amassed 248 passing yards, with 172 of those coming from three passes--one of which was an easy screen to Derrick Henry who took it to the house from 75 yards out. Rookie receiver A.J. Brown was another standout for the Titans, amassing 100 receiving yards in his NFL debut. Brown hauled in a couple of deep balls in this one, displaying the big play ability he was scouted for. Delanie Walker also made a triumphant return to the field last week with his first game with multiple touchdowns since 2015. Walker reminded everyone how dangerous of a red-zone weapon he can be for this offense with both touchdowns coming from within 11-yards of the end zone. Corey Davis, on the other hand, was a massive disappointment as he struggled under tough coverage and finished with zero receptions in Week 1. This week, the Titans will likely force Davis more targets as he sees an easier cornerback matchup. However, he will be tough to trust--especially considering how inconsistent Mariota was with the ball last week.
The Colts secondary allowed Phillip Rivers to average nearly 10 yards per pass attempt on his way to 333 passing yards and three touchdowns in Week 1. This Colts secondary takes a team-based approach rather than individual playmakers, as no single player has proven to have game-changing talent. However, Malik Hooker is certainly making a case after his highlight reel interception in the end zone last week. Slot receiver Adam Humphries should be in a good spot against Kenny Moore based on the success Keenan Allen had from the slot last week. Both Corey Davis and A.J. Brown are also in decent spots, while Delanie Walker should find success if the Colts linebackers play as poorly in coverage as they did in Week 1. The Colts defensive line started strong though, as second-year Kemoko Turay was particularly impressive in limited snaps. He finishing with five pressures from just 18 pass-rush snaps, which also included a sack and a forced fumble. Justin Houston also had an impressive debut with the Colts and will be in a decent spot against backup left tackle Dennis Kelly this week. This Titans offensive line did give up four sacks last week, so with up to two starters still missing, there is an opportunity for Mariota to be under pressure yet again this week.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK

OPP

oSNAP

CMP

ATT

YD

TD

INT

RSH

YD

TD

FumL

Sal

Pts

FP/$

1

at CLE

59

14

24

248

3

0

3

24

0

0

5200

24.32

4.68

2

vs IND

PROJ-Dodds

*

19

28

*

*

*

5

*

*

*

*

*

*

2

vs IND

PROJ-Tremblay

*

17

27

*

*

*

6

*

*

*

*

*

*

2

vs IND

PROJ-Bloom

*

17

28

*

*

*

3

*

*

*

*

*

*

Weekly Performance vs QB 1, QB 12, QB 24

Percentile ranks

Marcus Mariota's percentile rank in each category, among QB with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

Marcus Mariota had a great game on paper, but overall, he struggled to make the difficult throws for most of this contest as his stat line was padded by excellent after-the-catch play from his receivers. He was inaccurate throughout the first half, including overthrowing A.J. Brown in the end zone midway through the second quarter and missing Corey Davis on all three of his targets. Mariota did connect with A.J. Brown on a couple of occasions for deep balls of 47 and 51 yards. The first came off play-action on the first drive of the game as Mariota lofted the ball deep to a wide-open Brown who fought his way for a few extra yards. The second also came off play action, but Mariota threw it just 12 yards before Brown took it downfield for the 51-yard gain. Neither of the Brown catches would be Mariota's longest pass of the game though, as Derrick Henry took a simple screen pass 75 yards to the house for a touchdown to mark Mariota's first touchdown pass of the season. The next drive to start the fourth quarter led to Mariota flashing his speed as he tucked it on third-and-four to not only convert but pick up 13 yards as he sprinted down the left sideline. Mariota would follow up on the very next play with a strike to Delanie Walker for the 11-yard touchdown. The throw was a little high, but he led Walker perfectly in stride with a defender on his heels. The next drive would start in the red zone based on a Baker Mayfield interception, and Mariota would find Walker yet again on his very next throw for an easy touchdown from seven yards out.